Tag Archives: Inspiration

Happy New Year!

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I want to say farewell to 2012 – it was a good year.

I remember as a child on the 1st day back to school following New Years the teacher would write in big numbers on the chalkboard the new year.  And I would think “Wow.  The future.”  The future held so many unknowns, so many mysteries.  But that was when I was 7, 8, 9, 10…. and at that age my learning curve was steep and my ‘unknown’ curve was even steeper.

As one gets older life is broken down into increments of time.  4 year university degree, 20 year mortgage, 2 year bank loan, net 60 days, 40 hour work week, 8 hour shift, 3 weeks holiday, 2 ½ hour movie, 4 hour drive, 6 week delivery date, etc.  Life is intervals of time mapped out in doable increments.

The future is not quite as much a mystery but life undoubtedly is.

So let’s welcome in the New Year and start 2013 as a new beginning with lots of wonderful opportunities that lay ahead in our future.

Health and happiness for the New Year.

Cheers!

Happy New Year.

My Mother

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My Mother.

Affectionately known as ‘Nornie’ to her close friends and family.

My Mother was an identical twin and as close as 2 peas in a pod but my Mother was also one-of-a-kind.

Image

 

It was from my Mom that I got my sense of design and love of décor.  My Mom had a passion for decorating and keeping a beautiful home.

In my parents very first home my Mom painted the living room’s 5th wall (ceiling) red to coordinate with her new crimson red curved sofa.  Ground-breaking.

When my Mom was expecting their first child my parents moved to the suburbs – a larger home for their 4 children (born within the next 5 years) and more space for my Mom to decorate.

When we were very young my Mom enrolled in night school to take an interior decorating course.  I remember my Mom’s design boards with little swatches of fabric, carpet and paint.  She loved attending this course even if it meant leaving my Father at home with 4 small children – and even if it resulted in my Father doing a quick trip to the hospital emergency unit with my brother who needed stitches after falling on the fireplace hearth!

My Family

My Mom made her design choices slowly and meticulously.  Whether it was the fabric choice for the new sofa or drapery, the shape of the custom built kitchen table, the pattern of the wallpaper for the new feature wall or the paint colour of the garage door, my Mom made her decisions carefully.  Mom decorated on a budget but her home indicated otherwise.

My Mom was aware of trends and the latest in décor but chose the classics.  I grew up with mahogany, wools, silks, cotton damask, Louis XlV and gilded furniture.  Mom took me shopping to fine furniture stores like Eaton’ s Gallery of Fine Furniture, we visited art galleries and she taught me how to identify different fabrics.

I fondly remember my Father every few years saying to my Mom, “Well Nornie, it’s time for a new car, what colour shall I order?”  My Mom liked to coordinate the car with the colour of our home’s exterior!

Unfortunately my Mother never met any of her 11 grandchildren or got to retire with my Father.  And she never got the pleasure of helping her children decorate their homes.

Twenty-seven years ago today my Mother lost her battle with Cancer.

I miss you Mom.

 

 

Woman lll – Willem De Kooning

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On the list of “The 10 Most Expensive Paintings Ever Sold”, is Willem de Kooning’s Woman lll. In a private sale in 2006 Woman lll sold for $137.5 million dollars!

Willem de Kooning (April 24, 1904 – March 19, 1997) was a Dutch American abstract expressionist artist that painted in a style that came to be referred to as Abstract expressionism or Action painting.

With aggressive brushwork, blatant imagery and strategically placed high-key colors, Woman lll created a sensation when it was first shown in the early 1950’s.

This piece of art still creates a sensation in both subject and wonderful colour.

Willem De Kooning Woman lll Colour Palette

Image via Modmissy

Pantone’s Color of the Year 2013??

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Pantone Color chairs

Every year at this time Pantone announces their ‘Color of the Year’.  Seen as the global authority on colour and provider of professional colour standards for the design industries, Pantone Inc. declares what they believe is the colour best suited to the upcoming year.  There is a philosophy in choosing this colour based upon world situations and influences of the period.

This year was Tangerine Tango, a lively orange and in 2011 it was Honeysuckle, an energetic pink.

Pantone Color of the Year

Interior designers, fashion designers, the automobile industry, the makeup industry and many other consumer product industries take notice of this ‘Color of the Year’ decision.

Pantone has influenced the shoe industry www.seavees.com

Pantone and Seavees shoes

Toothbrushes are even available in Pantone colours www.kikkerland.com

Pantone color toothbrushes

Makeup company Sephora www.sephora.com joined forces with Pantone to create colourful beauty products.

Sephora and Pantone

And these colourful stand mixers from KitchenAid www.kitchenaid.com are available every year in many new colours.  Influenced??

Kitchenaid Mixers

So if I had to wager a guess on what the 2013 Color of the Year might be I am thinking somewhere in the blue shade.

Stay tuned!

 

 

I Believe

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December has arrived – a month that is full of rich traditions, celebrations and holidays observed by many people in all parts of the world.

Many of these celebrations are linked to winter solstice with light being a significant symbol.  Others are religiously linked holy days hence the word ‘holiday’.

Hanukkah or ‘Festival of Lights’ is one of the most important Jewish holidays and celebrated for 8 days; December 8 – 16, 2012

Christmas – December 25th marks the birth of Jesus Christ.

Bodhi Day ‘Day of Enlightenment’ celebrated on December 8th marks the day that the historical Buddha experienced enlightenment.

Kwanzaa celebrated December 26th to January 1st recognizes African heritage in North America

Saint Nicholas Day celebrated on December 6 in many parts of Europe.

Yalda, December 21st, is the Persian Winter Solstice Celebration.

Pancha Ganapati is a five-day Hindu festival celebrated from December 21st to December 25th.

And many more.

Whatever your beliefs I hope your December is full of happiness.

On that note I thought I would share mine…..

 

I Believe

 

Universal Children’s Day

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Today is National Children’s Day in Canada.

Celebrated on different days in many places around the world, Children’s Day calls society to a greater awareness of the plight of millions of children globally who are denied the basic necessities of a happy childhood and education.

Children’s Day is also the time to reflect on the conditions in society which affect the lives and futures of our own children.

In the 1950’s the United Nations recommended that all countries should establish a Universal Children’s Day centered on the rights of children.

Celebrations throughout the world include parades, ceremonies and gift-giving.  Some countries have even established Children’s Day as a national holiday.  In one country all drivers are expected to drive with their lights on all day long to demonstrate extra vigilance over children’s safety.

The children of today are our future of tomorrow.

Take time today to make a child smile.

 

In Remembrance

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In the 1980’s I remember attending the opening celebration of Designers Walk www.designerswalk.com in Toronto.  The event promised to be an important affair in the design and architecture community as Designers Walk was to be Canada’s leading resource centre for interior design.

Of course an event as important as this required a new dress!  So off I went in pursuit of that perfect dress.

After much searching I found ‘the’ dress.  It was a light grey, soft and supple suede dress that was sewn in a chevron pattern.  Perfect for a design event – on trend colour, great texture, classic pattern.

The Designers Walk event was fabulous and the dress was a hit.  It was a thrill to be present for this landmark occasion.

But the lasting memory I have of this whole affair that to this day still resonates with me is the person I met who sold me the dress.

I was in a dress shop and having a difficult time making any decision and getting frustrated trying to zip and un-zip in the change room when a very kind saleslady approached me offering assistance.  She patiently zipped and un-zipped for me.  It was when I finally tried on the grey suede dress that the saleslady rolled up her sleeves, put her hands on her hips and announced that this was ‘the’ dress.   I suddenly froze.  There on the saleslady exposed forearm was a tattoo.  A number tattoo.  During World War II the system of identifying prisoners at the Auschwitz Concentration Camp was to tattoo numbers on to their skin.  People were not identified by their face or their name but rather a number indelibly stamped on their body.  OMG was all I could think as I stood there trying not to stare at the saleslady’s forearm.  She had been at Auschwitz and had survived.  She had been witness to horrific events.  I have never forgotten this kind, patient lady.

In remembrance to all those who have lost their lives or have been witness to terrible violence during war and fighting I acknowledge their great courage and sacrifice.

Lest we forget.

Fashion by Décor – When Inspiration Strikes!

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Just wanted to share an outfit I wore for an evening out.  Constantly cruising the web looking at décor photos must have been the inspiration!

The boldly coloured living room appeared in Metropolitan Home (sadly now defunct) a number of years ago but is still quite fabulous.  I colour matched 3 Benjamin Moore paint colours from the photo and loved the combination.

Never know where inspiration strikes!

 

Queen’s University

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My son is in his final year of high school and now faced with the task of choosing a university to attend next year.  Selecting a university by program is important but I have come to realize that the ‘feel’ of the campus ranks very high too.  So we have been visiting campuses every weekend.  Recently our travels took us to Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario.

Walking around the campus gives the best overview.

My niece (a Queen’s student) was our tour guide. Thanks Jen

Founded in 1841, Queen’s has a lot of historical presence.  Most buildings including all constructed before the 1960’s are faced with limestone giving many of Queen’s buildings a castle-like appearance.

Ban Righ Hall, opened in 1925, is the first student residence on the Queen’s campus that also provided dining facilities.  The historical dining hall could have been the inspiration for Dickens Oliver Twist, “Please sir, I want some more”.  Outside the dining hall’s large windows was terrace seating perfect for eating on a sunny day.

Goodes Hall, a 110 year-old Victorian schoolhouse, has been preserved into the Queen’s School of Business.

Blending the old with the new Goodes Hall recently expanded combining the history of the 1892 schoolhouse with the contemporary design of a 75,000 sq. ft. wing addition.

Much of the old architecture in Goodes Hall was maintained such as the grand maple staircase, maple wainscoting and tin ceilings.  Once again I felt like I was walking into an old movie set.

The old and new architecture blend together quite beautifully.

A ‘green’ roof bridging the two buildings together is very cool.  (pun intended!)

And to top it all off Queen’s University sits right on the shore of Lake Ontario so we finished our tour with a picnic lunch on the beach.  What’s not to love about a university on the beach!?

All images via Modmissy